Can you get an SL for £4k and not regret it ?

[longtimedead]

Hi everyone ,New here ,great site and some good sensible things said ,been looking and reading lots on the internet and this site to try and get some knowledge on the SL and what i'm letting myself into .Always loved car's and Harleys ,I'm the wrong side of 50 so over the years have learnt to repair and enjoy most of the servicing and repairs myself on all the vehicles i have owned which go from Moggy Minors to Chrysler Chargers. Curently run a very boring but cheap to run mazda for day to day stuff and a Harley Electra Glide for cruising around the Welsh countryside etc which is all very well in the summer but not so good in the winter or when it rains (a lot in Wales) .
So my plan is to fill the gap with what must be the best value and best looking quality convertible there is ,namely the SL, but with limited funds am i going to be onto a looser with £3500 to £4500 to spend,looking on autotrader and ebay at the pictures is fine but will reality sink in once i have the car at home and find a list of problems that other people have left or are SL's what people say in that the original build quality is there to make them run and run. I know buying that age and mileage on any car is a bit hit and miss but if i'm careful and take my time looking will i find a SL with 120k on the clock,good original bodywork and something that i can take out on weekends and get the same buzz i do from the Harley.I fancy the 500 for the sound but its not the most important factor and a nice 300/320 would be just as acceptable .Your thoughts especial if you have been there ,done that will be very much appreciated....... O and most importantly i have the wifes approval as she's a bigger poser than i am:

 

[Oily Rag]

Simple answer, NO. Personally would,nt have thought it wise to entertain the thought on such a tight budget. You will be lumbered with hefty repair bills, should anything go wrong. Think double. But if you set on it, bite the bullet and stretch that budget.

 

[JohnDeere8530]

think you maybe buying into trouble at that price. It will be tired once prices come that low. Even minor-ish repairs could cost as much as the car is worth. I would say any SL more than about 6yrs old is going to cost and if budgets are tight, leave well alone. Since a cheap car will still have a £60k car's servicing costs !

Alternatively hire similar car a couple of weekends a yr. This way it will be almost new and on a fixed cost

 

[EDZ649]

Welcome aboard!

It is possible to get what your looking for within budget but you will need to bide your time and be prepared to walk away.

Don't let your heart rule your head. There are lots of these cars out there for sale, many have been cherished and many have not.

With autumn/winter looming there will be some bargains to be had but you must go and view before you buy, pictures make cars look a million times better than they actually are.

Don't be put off buying an early R129 as there are some minters out there. One of the best things about them is that they are one of the few Mercedes cars that don't suffer with the dreaded tin worm.

Good luck with the search

 

[219]

I was offered an accident damaged repairable R129 300SL a few years back for £3500 when in a scrappy - it was only light damage to one front corner and new bumper plus headlamp were included in the sale . Didn't have the cash at the time or I'd have bought it , ended up buying the 300TE-24 I was there to look at .

R107's can be picked up for that sort of money , but be prepared to have to fix rust issues at that price range . Paying more does not buy immunity from same rust issues so a bit of a lottery regardless of price .

 

[jasonyw]

There are some desperate to get rid of it post march 2001 due to over £400 road tax next April if you dont mind paying that annually.

Good luck.

 

[Stratman]

Did you see the Top Gear "Mid-Engined Italian Supercar for Under £10k" challenge?

The parting shot was "Yes, you can buy a mid-engined Italian supercar for under £10k, but in the name of all that's holy, DON'T!"

There will be a reason an SL is being sold for a much lower price than similar cars. Plus, as others have mentioned, the spares still come in the box of a £60k car.

 

[MOCAŠ]

There are some desperate to get rid of it post march 2001 due to over £400 road tax next April if you dont mind paying that annually.

Jasonyw, you've mentioned this before, but where are you getting it from?

When band G was introduced for cars emitting more than 225g/km, it only applied to cars registered from 23 March 2006 onwards. Cars registered between March 2001 and 22 March 2006 remained in band F.

When the new VED bands applicable from March 2009 were announced in the March 2008 budget, they were going to be applied retrospectively, so some cars registered from March 2001 onwards would have fallen into band L (226-255g/km) or band M (over 255g/km). However, following an unfavourable reaction it was announced on 14 May 2008 that for 2009/10, VED for cars registered before 23 March 2006 would be capped at band K.

Then in the 2008 Pre-Budget Report (PBR), it was stated that "cars that emit over 225 g/km, but were registered between 1 March 2001 and 23 March 2006, will be moved into the new band K in 2009 and stay there in 2010. This will mean that they maintain their exemption from the top rate of VED." This led people to assume that the exemption was just for two years, but it was actually for an indefinite period.

In this year's budget there was no mention of changes to car VED for 2011 (although changes to HGV VED next year were covered). In fact. I don't recall there having been any further announcement on this since the 2008 PBR, and can't find any reliable reference to changes being introduced with effect from April 2011.

 

[jasonyw]

Jasonyw, you've mentioned this before, but where are you getting it from?

When band G was introduced for cars emitting more than 225g/km, it only applied to cars registered from 23 March 2006 onwards. Cars registered between March 2001 and 22 March 2006 remained in band F.

When the new VED bands applicable from March 2009 were announced in the March 2008 budget, they were going to be applied retrospectively, so some cars registered from March 2001 onwards would have fallen into band L (226-255g/km) or band M (over 255g/km). However, following an unfavourable reaction it was announced on 14 May 2008 that for 2009/10, VED for cars registered before 23 March 2006 would be capped at band K.

Then in the 2008 Pre-Budget Report (PBR), it was stated that "cars that emit over 225 g/km, but were registered between 1 March 2001 and 23 March 2006, will be moved into the new band K in 2009 and stay there in 2010. This will mean that they maintain their exemption from the top rate of VED." This led people to assume that the exemption was just for two years, but it was actually for an indefinite period.

In this year's budget there was no mention of changes to car VED for 2011 (although changes to HGV VED next year were covered). In fact. I don't recall there having been any further announcement on this since the 2008 PBR, and can't find any reliable reference to changes being introduced with effect from April 2011.

You will find out in April 2011. Keep an eye on DVLA roadtax website. It was meant for 2008 but Darling made adjustment for a holiday for two years as protesters complained it was unreasonable in so short a time frame that affected even a Mondeo.

That why I got rid of my slk200 last November or I would had kept it.

 

[BULLITTBOSS]

You will find out in April 2011. Keep an eye on DVLA roadtax website. It was meant for 2008 but Darling made adjustment for a holiday for two years as protesters complained it was unreasonable in so short a time frame that affected even a Mondeo.

That why I got rid of my slk200 last November or I would had kept it.

I dont think even if the tax goes up to £400 per year it will force people with as you say post 2001 SL cars to sell for £3500!!
people who can afford cars of this value would not be put off by another £4 per week!

 

[carnut]

I believe the answer to the OP is that you would be wiser to buy the best car at about 6-8k than a cheapo...look at Autocar this week for a very good article on SLs

 

[jasonyw]

Don't get conned by Lithuthians offering you super cheap price saying the car is not in UK, deposit your cash in escrow, they will ship it to you, you will never see your cash again nor the car.

Suddenly the prices of Comand have reduced from £700 to £400 at eBay.

There are a number of Comand sited in UK for those whose car was broken into.

 

[Druk]

"Can you get an SL for £4k and not regret it ? "

Lets get back to the question and and quantify the OP's requirements.

Longtimedead. Are you talking about the 'Dallas' car R107 or the later R129?

If it's the 107 then you should budget enough change for a small welding machine.

 

[wobbly]

Suddenly the prices of Comand have reduced from £700 to £400 at eBay.

There are a number of Comand sited in UK for those whose car was broken into.

Where did this little rant come from ??

 

[d w124]

Where did this little rant come from ??

+1

 

[d w124]

Hi and welcome to the forum.If you`re talking about the 129,the answer is yes.Can`t belive how cheap they go this days and some real bargains show up daily on ebay

 

[dinoy]

if u r looking cheap get w129 300 sl 1990 1991 u get some good ones for that sort of money, neg hard, the 24v have suspect wire looms and gearboxes avoid. similarly w107 can be got at similar money.

these car need maintenance find the best mechnically and respary things like that is not a big problem for the future

but streach a little more and get minter u will not regret it, unless u r handy mechanically and bodwork or know good reasonable people to do the work

 

[longtimedead]

Morning everyone. Thanks for the interesting replies ,lots of differences of opinion it seems , just to clarify its a 129 i'm looking for not the 107 ,i love tinkering and as long as any faults can be fixed with a little time and knowledge i'm happy ,so a car that can be run and at the same time given some TLC and brought up to look like its just out of a showroom is like a cat with the cream to me. Do people agree the main difference in prices relates to if its a private sale or trader and if the owner thinks its the "best one in the uk" or is being realistic about its true sale value, if so then it comes back to the original question which is what sort of car can i expect if i'm careful (and lucky)for £4k, would i be reasonable to think that good cars at that price are out there and in a lot of cases the car at £4k with some TLC can be no worse than the £7k car ,its just down to the sellers perceived idea of its value or should i wait like a few have said and spend a little more .
Many thanks so far for your answer's
ps is there anyone out there thats bought such a car for £4000,i'd be interested to hear how they got on.
pps for example....there's one on autotrader now £3750 1993 300 24v 109000 miles,13 main dealer stamps ,says MOT till May 2010 ,not sure if he means 2011 though,looks the dogs dooda's (but not without an MOT)

 

[Setanta]

My old one was for sale on pistonheads for £3750. It had £14,000 or so worth of receipts, including a new headgasket (from MB Guildford) by yours truly (it was a 300 12 valve).

No aircon, cloth seats but otherwise same as any other 1992 car.

I seriously thought about buying it to use over the winter for the "R129" experience but that would eat into my Biturbo fund.

 

[Setanta]

Looks like it has been sold - £3500

Mercedes : Mercedes 300SL **Price Reduced**